Milk bottle container



' 1937- NJRICHARDSON 2,095,473

MIL-K BOTTLE CONTAINER Filed Jan. 4, 1937 2'Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

L/oyd A. Mafia/45027 Y ATTORNEY.

Oct. 12, 1937. N. RICHARDSON MILK BOTTLE CONTAINER Filed Jan. 4, 1937 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Lloyd IY Dlchards on.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This inventionrelates to milk bottle containers, and has for its object the provisionof certain parts of special construction and arrangement whereby milkbottles and money placed with them in the container may be securelylocked against removal by any one not familiar with the mechanism, orprovided with a milk bottle in addition to those in the container.

While the invention is in no way limited thereto,

1i) this application] discloses a container fashioned to receive aseries of three milk bottles arranged side by side, and the followingdescription is in accordance therewith.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents a; top view of threebottles in the container.

Fig. 2 is a front vertical section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showingthe locking bar disengaged.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 3 showing the locking barengaged with the teeth of onesliding member.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on a double scale of drawing showing thelocking bars relating to the middle bottle. In this View are alsoillustrated one form of crank wires or rods for engaging and releasingthe locking bars, together with the spring for drawing the lower ends ofthe crank wires towards each other, and further setting out the springsfor elevating the locking bars when the bottle is removed.

Throughout the drawings and description, the same number is used torefer to the same part.

Considering the drawings, a container I of suitable form, is providedwith side guide rods 2 and 3 for sliding lock members 4 and 5. There maybe also provided an auxiliaryguide rod 2. The

sliding members are provided upon their under surfaces with toothedangle pieces. The pieces 6 and 1 are borne by member 4, and the likepieces 8 and 9 by the member 5. The sliding member 4 has oppositesemi-circular recesses l and H adapted to engage the necks of milkbottles, and the member is provided with like recesses l2 and I3; Thethree milk bottles in the container are I4, l5 and IS.

The container is provided interiorly with vertical guide frames orpartitions I1 and I8, which are supported by cross pieces l9 and 20extending from side to side of the container. Adjacent to bottle M, andguided in the partition or frame I! is a vertically movable locking bar2|, provided with a curved foot or lower end 22 upon which the bottlemay be placed. The middle bottle l5 has bottle has a second locking bar25 also formed with a curved lower end or foot 26. The third bottle l6has the locking bar 27 with its curved foot piece 28 upon which thebottle may be placed.

At the sides of the bottles, as best shown in Fig.

2, are whatmay be termed crank wires or rods such as 29, 30 and 3|,pivotally supported in the supporting partitions or walls I! and l8. 3There are also crank wires on the other sides of the "bottlessuch as theparts 32 and 33, best shown in Fig. 5, and on the wire 33 is shown acatchblock 34 engaging a lug 35 on the locking bar '25. Thus, the onlyway of separating the crank wires together is by the introduction of amilk bottle. The ordinary uninformed person would not be aware of anymeans of operating the crank wires. The construction illustrated in Fig.5 shows one manner of holding the locking bars in elevated positions,from which they may be lowered by the introduction of a milk bottleplacedupon the feet of the locking bars. There is also a catch block :36on the crank wire 30 which engages a lug 31 on the locking bar 23. Thereis also a sliding plate or strip 39 with an Lip-turned end 38 whichengages a lug on the locking bar 25. It will be understood from Figs. 3,4 and 5, that when the bottle is introduced as in Fig. 3, the catchblocks 34 and 36 as Well as the catch end 38 will be withdrawn fromengagement with the lugs 35, 31, and 39 of the locking bars. When,however, the milk bottle has been removed, the mere downward pressure onor between the looking bars will be resisted. The only way to disengagethe locking bars is to separate the crank wires at'the same time by theintroduction of the body of a milk bottle.

In Fig. 5 is shown a coil spring 40 which acts to draw the lower ends ofthe crank wires 30 and 33 towards each other, from which positions theymay be moved outwardly when a. bottle is introduced between the wires.Also in Fig. 5 may be noted coil springs 4| and 42, which act to elevatethe locking bars 25 and 23.

In the operation of this invention, let it be assumed that the threebottles are in position as shown, and the sliding members are moved toengage the necks of bottles l4 and 16. Now, if the middle bottle I 5 beremoved, the locking bars adjacent thereto engage the teeth of thesliding members and bottles [4 and I6 are locked. If bottle E5, or alike bottle, be again introduced the locking bars are lowered and thebottles I 4 and It may be removed-upon moving the sliding members fromthe necks thereof. If bottle I6 alone is to be locked, the slidingmember is moved to engage the neck, and the middle bottle is removed. Ifthe middle bottle is to be locked, the sliding member is moved to engageits neck, and bottle I6 removed. Then, the locking bar adjacent tobottle l6 will engage the teeth of the sliding member and lock themiddle bottle. In other words, to free either bottle, and gain access tothe interior of the container, a bottle must be introduced to free thelocking bars from the sliding members. The invention as illustrated isparticularly useful to a customer taking two quarts of milk daily. I 7

Having now described this invention and its operation, I claim: V

1. In a milk bottle container constructed to receive a series of threebottles, sliding members movable in two directions and having oppositerecesses adapted to engage necks of milk bottles in the container,locking devices arranged adjacent to each bottle and adapted to belowered by the introduction of the bottle, spring actuated means forelevating said devices, said sliding members and said devices beingconstructed to be engaged when a bottle is removed and disengaged whenthe bottle is introduced, the middle bottle having two sets of saidlocking'devices whereby when the middle bottle is removed the remainingbottles and sliding members are locked, and are unlocked when saidmiddle bottle is introduced. V H

2. In a milk bottle container constructed to receive a series of threebottles, sliding members movable in two directions and having downwardlyprojecting teeth and opposite recesses adapted to engage the necks ofmilk bottles placed in the container, locking bars arranged adjacent toeach bottle and adapted to be lowered by the introduction of the bottle,spring actuated means for elevating said bars, the teeth of said slidingmembers and said bars being constructed to be engaged when a bottle isremoved and disengaged when the bottle is introduced, the middle bottlehaving adjacent thereto two sets of said locking bars whereby when themiddle bottle is removed the remaining bottles and sliding members arelocked, and are unlocked when said middle bottle is introduced.

3. In a milk bottle container constructed to receive a series of threemilk bottles, sliding members movable in two directions and adapted toengage the necks of milk bottles, vertically reciprocating locking bars,springs for raising the bars, said members and bars being constructedand arranged to engage and disengage by the movements of the bars, meanslocated near the bottom and within the container for engaging andsecuring the bars in upper positions in releasable relation and forresisting downward pressure on said bars, said means being constructedto be actuated to release the bars by the. introduction between them ofthe body of a milk bottle.

LLOYD N. RICHARDSON.

